The suspects charged in the cross-border diamond smuggling case. — Photo courtesy of the police

HCM CITY — Vietnamese police have charged three jewellery shop owners and a gem certification employee as part of an expanding investigation into a cross-border diamond smuggling ring that authorities say was orchestrated from Hong Kong by Indian nationals.

The four suspects were charged with smuggling following an expanded investigation led by Thanh Hóa Province's police in coordination with HCM City police, the Ministry of Public Security said on Tuesday.

Those charged are Lê Thị Ngọc Mỹ, director of Kim Lý Gold, Silver and Gemstone Co. Ltd.; Nguyễn Thị Liên, director of Ngọc Tâm Co. Ltd.; Hoàng Thị Thanh Nga, director of NCA Investment Co. Ltd., which operates the Ngọc Châu Âu jewellery business; and Trần Tiễn Như Nghi, a gem certification employee at PNJ-LAB.

Police allege the network sourced diamonds from Indian suppliers and smuggled them into Việt Nam by air without customs declarations before selling them to local jewellery businesses.

According to investigators, Indian nationals working in Việt Nam marketed the diamonds directly to jewellery retailers, while orders, pricing and deliveries were coordinated through encrypted messaging applications including WhatsApp and Viber.

Authorities said the diamonds were typically sold at prices about one-third below prevailing market rates in Việt Nam, targeting jewellery retailers and newly established businesses seeking to expand their customer base.

Police said the diamonds were concealed in personal luggage, shoes and clothing and brought into Việt Nam through Tân Sơn Nhất, Nội Bài, Đà Nẵng, and Phú Quốc international airports without being declared to customs.

The shipments were then sorted for individual buyers and distributed through intermediaries, while deliveries and payments were verified using the serial numbers of US dollar banknotes as coded identifiers, according to investigators.

The ministry said investigators encountered difficulties tracing financial flows, determining the value of the diamonds and recovering the allegedly smuggled goods because of the group's methods of operation.

The latest charges expand a case announced last week in which authorities arrested several suspects, including an Indian national accused of smuggling nearly 1,500 diamonds into Việt Nam through multiple trips.

The investigation is continuing. — VNS